The Second Limb of Yoga Practice: Niyama
'sauca santosa tapah svādhyāya Īsvarapranidhānāni niyamāh'
The niyamas (inner cultivations) are sauca (cleanliness), santosa (contentment), tapas (burning enthusiasm), svādhyāya (self-study), and isvarapranidhāna (surrender to God).
- Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, II.32
Sauca, or cleanliness, applies inside and out of the body, physically and mentally. To take a bath is to practice cleanliness, as is healthy eating. Similarly, avoiding undue negative influence—such as staring at a computer screen all day, or listening to the commercials on the radio—is also a form of cleanliness. Ultimately, sauca is a study of the energetic exchange between oneself and the environment. Performed correctly, one’s life-force will be contained and protected, and utilized towards pursuits that benefit the greater good.
Santosa, contentment, is the lived experience of equanimity: simply being cool with whatever experiences arise. It is a sign of true self-mastery.
Tapas literally translates as ‘heat.’ It is the burning desire, sustained enthusiasm, and deep-rooted motivation that enables a yoga practitioner to undergo the long, arduous path of discipline that is yoga. Tapas, like heat, burns away doubt and ignorance. It is the motivating force behind a yoga practitioner waking up early, committed to their practice.
Svādhyāya, or self-study, is often interpreted as ‘study of scriptures.’ However, it literally means ‘study of self (sva).’ In yoga practice, we learn pretty quickly that the ‘self’ is an all-encompassing being that includes all aspects of our personalities as well as the entire universe. In keeping with this inclusive definition of self, svādhyāya is the study of reality: our emotions and patterns of the mind, and the patterns that shape the world around us. Svādhyāya is the curiosity that leads the yoga practitioner into the depth of their experience. It is the pursuit of wisdom and understanding.
Isvarapranidhāna literally means ‘surrender to Isvara,’ Isvara being the most important God in the Hindu pantheon. For practical purposes, it is the awareness that our efforts alone are not enough, that we are reliant on the grace of the universe to attain wisdom. It is the recognition that in the end, we have to kick the ladder and be swept in whatever direction the tide will take us. Isvarapranidhāna is not dissimilar to the Christian notion of obedience to God, one of the central vows taken by monks and nuns upon ordination, and whereby the monk or nun dedicates their entire life to the service of God’s will. Isvarapranidhāna is restful, for it is the final release of effort and ego.
These are the five niyamas, or ‘inner cultivations.’ Where the yamas are external in application, the niyamas form the beginning of directing consciousness inwards. Instead of working with our behavior, we work with the thoughts and emotions that give rise to action.
Like the yamas, the niyamas are best utilized as lenses with which to view one’s life. Instead of forcing ourselves to follow a set of guidelines, the yamas and niyamas are excellent frameworks for asking ourselves questions about who we are.
The niyamas (inner cultivations) are sauca (cleanliness), santosa (contentment), tapas (burning enthusiasm), svādhyāya (self-study), and isvarapranidhāna (surrender to God).
- Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, II.32
Sauca, or cleanliness, applies inside and out of the body, physically and mentally. To take a bath is to practice cleanliness, as is healthy eating. Similarly, avoiding undue negative influence—such as staring at a computer screen all day, or listening to the commercials on the radio—is also a form of cleanliness. Ultimately, sauca is a study of the energetic exchange between oneself and the environment. Performed correctly, one’s life-force will be contained and protected, and utilized towards pursuits that benefit the greater good.
Santosa, contentment, is the lived experience of equanimity: simply being cool with whatever experiences arise. It is a sign of true self-mastery.
Tapas literally translates as ‘heat.’ It is the burning desire, sustained enthusiasm, and deep-rooted motivation that enables a yoga practitioner to undergo the long, arduous path of discipline that is yoga. Tapas, like heat, burns away doubt and ignorance. It is the motivating force behind a yoga practitioner waking up early, committed to their practice.
Svādhyāya, or self-study, is often interpreted as ‘study of scriptures.’ However, it literally means ‘study of self (sva).’ In yoga practice, we learn pretty quickly that the ‘self’ is an all-encompassing being that includes all aspects of our personalities as well as the entire universe. In keeping with this inclusive definition of self, svādhyāya is the study of reality: our emotions and patterns of the mind, and the patterns that shape the world around us. Svādhyāya is the curiosity that leads the yoga practitioner into the depth of their experience. It is the pursuit of wisdom and understanding.
Isvarapranidhāna literally means ‘surrender to Isvara,’ Isvara being the most important God in the Hindu pantheon. For practical purposes, it is the awareness that our efforts alone are not enough, that we are reliant on the grace of the universe to attain wisdom. It is the recognition that in the end, we have to kick the ladder and be swept in whatever direction the tide will take us. Isvarapranidhāna is not dissimilar to the Christian notion of obedience to God, one of the central vows taken by monks and nuns upon ordination, and whereby the monk or nun dedicates their entire life to the service of God’s will. Isvarapranidhāna is restful, for it is the final release of effort and ego.
These are the five niyamas, or ‘inner cultivations.’ Where the yamas are external in application, the niyamas form the beginning of directing consciousness inwards. Instead of working with our behavior, we work with the thoughts and emotions that give rise to action.
Like the yamas, the niyamas are best utilized as lenses with which to view one’s life. Instead of forcing ourselves to follow a set of guidelines, the yamas and niyamas are excellent frameworks for asking ourselves questions about who we are.